Automatic vehicle-brake.



No. 658,799. Patented Oct. 2, I900. H. PADEN.

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE BRAKE.

(Application filed Jan. 19, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 658,799, Patented Oct. 2, I900.

HI. PADEN.

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE BRAKE.

(Application filed Jan. 19, 1900.) (No Model. 2 Sheets8heet 2.

tion of the connecting device.

1 Parent Fries.

HENRY PADEN, OF EAST GRAND FORKS, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,799, dated October 2, 1900. Application filed January 19, 1900. Serial No. 2,041. or.) model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY PAD EN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Grand Forks, in the county of Polk and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Automatic Vehicle-Brake, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in automatic vehicle-brakes.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of automatic vehiclebrakes and to provide a simple and comparatively-inexpensive one adapted to be readily operated by the draft-animals and capable of being easily locked to hold the brake-shoes against the wheels and to prevent them from,

coming in contact with the same when it is desired to back a vehicle and also to prevent mud from accumulating on the brake-shoes.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a'plan view of a running-gear provided with an automatic brake constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Figs. 8, 4:, and 5 are detail views illustrating the construction of the sliding sleeve with which the brake-beam is connected and which carries the rear lockin g device for holding the brake-shoes against the wheels. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig.7 is a detail perspective view of the front locking device. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the intermediate sec- Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the manner of mounting the tongue. Fig. 10 is a detail view of the bracket which is engaged by the latch-lever of the rock-shaft.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a tongue slidingly mounted in a guide 2 and capable of a limited longitudinal movement in the said guide 2, which is pivoted by a transverse rod 3 between the front hounds 4 of the running-gear. The guide is provided at its top and bottom with longitudinal slots 5 for the reception of the vertical pivot 6 of the doubletree 7, and the tongue has a horizontal longitudinal slot 8, through which passes the rod 3, which is preferably provided with an antifriction sleeve or roller to enable the tongue to reciprocate frictionlessly. The guide, which istapering, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, to conform to the config uration of the front hounds, and which may be constructed in any suitable manner, is preferably composed of inner and outer longitudinal bars of wood, framed with metal and located, respectively, at opposite sides of the tongue and at the inner faces of the front hounds. The tongue, which is preferably reinforced by upper and lower longitudinal plates, is provided at its rear end with rearwardly-disposed arms 9, preferably formed integral with the upper and lower reinforcing-plates and angularly bent to offset their outer portions from each other, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The rearwardly-disposed angularly-bent arms of the tongue form a fork, between which is mounted a vertical roller 10, which engages a horizontal roller 11, arranged between a pair of diverging arms 12 of a sliding connecting device. The vertical roller is disposed on a bolt or other suitable fastening device, and the horizontal roller is similarly mounted. By interlocking the rear end of the tongue with the front end of the connecting device in this manner the tongue is permitted to swing vertically and horizontally with relation to the reach without binding against such device, and the rollers permit such vertical and horizontal oscillation to be frictionless. The doubletree, which is designed to be provided with an ordinary singletree, is supported by a longitudinal bar 13, secured at its rear end to the upper arm of the tongue and having its front end bent down ward and bolted or otherwise secured to the upper face of the tongue in advance of the doubletree. The supporting bar or brace 13 is provided with a perforation 14 to receive the pivot 6 of the doubletree when it is arranged in the longitudinal slot 5 of the guide, and a perforation 15 is provided in advance of the perforation 14 for the reception of the pivot 6 when it is engaged with a perforation 16 of the tongue, whereby the latter is locked against movement independent of the guide.

The running-gear is provided with the usual reach 17, pivoted at its front end to the front axle by a king-bolt 18 and connected with the rear hounds 20 by a cuff 21. The connecting device 22, which is provided with the front diverging arms 12, consists of a pair of parallel side bars located at opposite sides of the reach and composed of front and rear sections 23 and 24, the front section being connected adjacent to the arms by a transverse portion 25, arranged in rear of the upright antifriction-roller 10. The adjacent ends of thefront and rear sections are detachably connected, as hereinafter explained, and the rear terminals of the rear sections of the side bars of the connecting device are seen red to a sleeve 26, which is slidingly mounted on the rear portion of the reach between the rear hounds.

The rear hounds support a transverse bar 27, from the ends of which is suspended a transverse brake beam 28, provided at its ends with brake-shoes 29 and adjustably connected with the sliding sleeve 26 by rearwardly-converging rods 30, whereby when the sliding sleeve is moved rearward by the rearward movement of the tongue relative to the running-gear the brake-shoes will be carried into engagement with the hind wheels and will check the forward movement of the vehicle, as will be readily understood. The rear ends of the rods 30 are provided with eyes for the reception of bolts or other suitable fastening devices for pivoting them to the sliding sleeve, and their front ends are provided with arms or hooks 31, adapted to engage perforations 32 of plates or bars 33, secured to the transverse brake-beam and arranged at the rear face thereof, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. By adjusting the front ends of the rods 30 to and from the center of the brake-beam the brake-shoes may be brought into position for properly engaging the hind wheels with the necessary force.

The rear sections of the side bars of the connecting device are provided with front and rear lugs 34 and 35, spaced apart to receive the sleeve, which is provided at opposite sides with longitudinal openings formed by angularly-bent plates 36, detachably secured to the outer faces of the sides of the sleeve. The sleeve is provided with upper and lower antifriction wheels or rollers 37 and 38, mounted on transverse bolts or other suitable fastening devices and engaging wear-plates secured to the adjacent portions of the reach. The lower antifriction wheels or rollers 38 are arranged centrally of the reach, and the upper antifriction wheels or rollers are preferably disposed in pairs, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The side bars of the connecting device are provided at the upper edges of their front sections with ratchet-teeth 39 and 40, which are oppositely shouldered and are adapted to be engaged by centrally-pivoted pawls 41,

carried by the reach and mounted 011 a transverse pivot 42. The pivot 42 is arranged in a transverse opening of .a suitable support 43, and the teeth 39 and are shouldered in the opposite direction, the front teeth being provided at their rear edges with shoulders and the rear teeth having shoulders at their front edges. The pawls are curved, and when their front ends are in engagement with the teeth 39 the connecting device, and consequently the sleeve, are locked against rearward movement on the reach, and they are held against forward movement when the rear ends of the pawls are in engagement with the rear teeth 40. The front arms of the pawls are connected by a link 43 with a curved loop or bend of a rock-shaft 44, j ournaled in suitable bearings of the front bolster 45 and provided at one end with an arm 46, having a locking device for holding the pawls in their adjusted positions. The curved loop or bend forms an arm for raising and lowering the front portions of the pawls, and

it also permits the front bolster to swing on I the king-bolt without interfering with the position or operation of the said pawls. When both ends of the pawls are out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth of the side bars of the connecting device, the automatic brake is free to operate, and the brake-shoes will be carried into engagement with the wheels when the tonguemoves rearward with relation to the running-gear, and the hind wheels will be relieved of the brake-shoes when the tongue is drawn forward by the draft-animal.

The arm 46 at one end of the rock-shaft extends upward and passes through a slot of a bracket 47, secured to one of the standards of the front bolster and having a horizontal portion which is provided with a slot 48 for the reception of the arm 46 and which has perforations 49 and 50, adapted to be engaged by a spring-actuated latch-lever 51. The spring-actuated latch-lever is provided near its center with a depending lug for engaging the perforations and the slot of the bracket, and it has a perforation at its front end to receive the arm 46, on which it is fulcrumed, the said arm 46 being provided with a shoulder or collar 53, which supports the front end of the latch-lever. The latch-lever is held in engagement with the bracket by means of a coiled spring 54, mounted on a stem 55, extending upward from the latchlever at a point between the depending lug and the arm 46 and extending through a perforation of the upper end of the arm 46. The upper end 56 of the arm 46 is bent inward over the latch-lever to form a bearing for the coiled spring. When the depending lug of the latch-lever is in engagement with the rear end of the slot of the bracket, the front ends of the pawls 41 are elevated, and their rear ends are engaged with the rear ratchet-teeth 40, and when the said stud engages the intermediate perforation both ends of the pawls are out of engagement with the ratchetteeth of the front sections of the side bars of the connecting device. When it is desired to engage the front ends of the pawls with the ratchet-teeth 89, the latch-lever is carried backward to the end perforation 50. By this construction the brake-shoes may be locked against movement when they are in or out of engagement with the Wheels of the runninggear, and the vehicle may be backed without applying the automatic brake. This will also be found advantageous when it is desired to hold the brake-shoes away from the hind Wheels to prevent mud from accumulating on them in descending a muddy grade.

The cufi which connects the rear hounds with the reach, offsets the former from the latter to provide an intervening space 57 for the passage of the side bars of the connecting device, and it is provided with longitudinal plates 58 and vertical antifriction-rolls 59, the former being interposed between the reach and the side bars of the connecting device and the latter being interposed between the said side bars and the hounds to enable the brake to operate freely and frictionlessly. The side bars also carry upper and lower transverse antifriction-rolls 60, mounted on transverse bolts 61, which pass through perforations of plates 62, secured to and projecting above and below the rear sections of the side bars ofthe connecting device.

The adjacent ends of the front and rear sections of the side bars of the connecting device are provided with outwardly-extending lugs 63 and 64, arranged in pairs and supporting longitudinal plates 65, which are bolted to the outer faces of the said sections. The front and rear sections may also be connected by intermediate sections or bars 66 when it is desired to lengthen the connecting device to correspond with the adjustment of the reach. This construction permits the automatic brake to operate when the runninggear is extended for carrying logs or for analogous purposes. When the brake is applied to ordinary vehicles in which the runninggear does not have to be lengthened, the side bars of the'connecting device 22 will consist of continuousbars instead of being composed of sections,as before described, or, in other words, the'front and rear portions 23 and 24 will then be formed integral with each other. The automatic brake may also be locked in engagement with the hind wheels by a rear pawl 67, extending forward from the center of the top of the sliding sleeve and having its rear end arranged to engage a centrally-disposed series of ratchet-teeth 68, carried by the rear portion of the reach. The rear pawl 67 is provided between its ends with laterallydisposed arms 69, which are connected by links 70 with the inner adjacent ends of a pair of pivoted links 71, forming a toggle connect-ion and adapted to support the pawl in an elevated position out of engagement with the ratchets of the reach when their inner ends are sprung upward above the center. The outer ends of the links 71 are pivoted at the front and top of the sliding sleeve, as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings, and the parts have sufficient play to permit the pivoted links 71 to swing upward and downward above and below an imaginary line connecting the pivots of their outer ends to raise and lower the pawl. The teeth 68 are shouldered at their rear ends, and they enable the rear pawl to lock the sliding sleeve against forward movement on the reach, whereby the brake-shoes are maintained in engagement with the hind wheels. The rear pawl may be operated by any suitable means, and it can be raised by hand or thrown downward by the foot of the operator when the wagon-body is removed from the runninggear.

In order to enable the curved bend or loop of the rock-shaft to move freely in the forked portion of the link 43, the latter is provided with a transverse antifriction-roller 43*, extending across the top of thelink and mounted on a bolt which confines the loop or arm of the rock-shaft in the said link 43.

What is claimed is 1. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a running-gear having a longitudinally-movable tongue, of brake-shoes ar ranged to engage the hind wheels, a sleeve mounted on the reach, connections between the sleeve and the brake-shoes, whereby the latter will be applied when the sleeve is moved rearward, aconnecting device extending from the tongue to the sleeve and provided with reversely arranged ratchets, a pawl pivoted between its ends, and arranged to engage either of the ratchets, a rock-shaft mounted on the running-gear and connected with the pawl, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a running-gear, of a connecting device provided with oppositely disposed ratchets, a pawl pivoted between its ends and adapted to engage either of the ratchets, a rock-shaft mounted on the front portion of the running-gear and having a curved arm or bend slidingly connected with the pawl, and means for operating the rock-shaft, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with arunning-gear, of a connecting device provided with oppositelydisposed ratchets, a pawl pivotally mounted between its ends and arranged to engage either of the ratchets, a link connected with the pawl and having a forked upper end, a roller mounted in the forked upper end of the link, and a rock-shaft mounted on the front portion of the running-gear and having a curved bend or arm passing through the fork of the link and arranged to engage the roller, substantially as described.

4. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination of a connecting device having ratchet-teeth, a pawl for engaging the same, a rock-shaft connected with the pawl and having an arm, a bracket slotted to receive the arm and having perforations, and a springactuated latch-lever fulcrumed on the arm and provided with a lug adapted to engage the perforations and the slot of the bracket, substantially as described.

5. In an automatic vehiele'brake, the combination of a connecting device having ratchet-teeth, a pawl for engaging the ratchetteeth, a rock-shaft connected with the pawl and having an arm, a bracket formingaguide for the arm, and a spring-actuated latch-lever extending longitudinally of the bracket and fulcrumed on the arm and adapted to engage the said bracket, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In an automatic vehiclebrake, the combination of a connecting device having ratchet-teeth, a pawl for engaging the same, a rockshaft connected with the pawl and having an arm, the latter being extended horizontally at its upper end, a horizontal bracket forming a guide for the arm and located beneath the upper end thereof,an approximately-horizontal latch-lever fulcru med on the arm and arranged to engage the bracket at the upper face thereof, a stem extending from the latchlever and guided on the upper end of the said arm, and a spring disposed on the stem and engaging the latch-lever, substantially as described.

7. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a running-gear having front hounds and provided with a transverse rod connecting the same, a pivoted guide mounted on the transverse rod and arranged between the hounds, said guide being provided with upper and lower longitudinal slots, a tongue arranged to slide in the pivoted guide and having a horizontal slot to receive the said rod, a whifiletree having a pivot arranged in the slots of the guide and adapted to engage a solid portion thereof to hold the tongue against longitudinal movement, brake-shoes, and connections between the brake-shoes and the tongue, substantially as described.

8. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a run ning-gear, of brake-shoes, a ratchet mounted on the reach, a sliding sleeve also mounted on the reach, connections between the sliding sleeve and the brakeshoes, and a pawl carried by the sleeve and engaging the ratchet, substantially as described.

9. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination of a running-gear, brake-shoes, a ratchet mounted on the reach, a sliding sleeve, connections between the brake-shoes and the sliding sleeve, a pawl mounted on the latter and adapted to engage the ratchet, and links connecting the pawl with the sleeve and adapted to support the former in an elevated position, substantially as described.

10. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the com bination with a running-gear, of a ratchet mounted thereon, a sliding sleeve, a pawl arranged to engage the ratchet and pivotally mounted on the sliding sleeve, said pawl being provided with laterally-dis posed arms,the links 71 pivoted together at their inner ends and similarly secured at their outer ends to the sleeve, and the links connecting the arms of the pawl with the inner ends of the links 71, substantially as described.

11. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a runninggear, of a sleeve mounted on the reach, brake-shoe connections between the brake-shoes and the sleeve, upper and lower antifriction-rolls journaled on the sleeve and engaging the reach, a connecting device having side bars located at opposite sides of the reach and provided with lugs arranged in pairs and engaging the sleeve at the front and back thereof, and a longitudinally-rcciprocating tongue for actuating the connecting device, substantially as described.

12. In an automatic vehicle-brake,the combination with a running-gear, of a transverse brake -beam suspended from the runninggear, plates or bars secured to the transverse beams and provided with perforations, a sliding sleeve, rods pivoted to the sleeve and provided with hooks or arms for engaging the perforations, and means for operating the sleeve, substantially as described.

13. In an automatic vehicle-brake,the combination with a runninggear having a longitudinally-reciprocating tongue, of a connecting device extending rearward from the tongue and composed of side bars located at opposite sides of the reach and connected together at their front ends, a sliding sleeve connected with the rear ends of the side bars of the connecting device, antifriction-rollers carried by the connecting device and by the running-gear, brake-shoes, and connections between the brake-shoes and the sleeve, substantially as described.

14. In an automatic vehicle-brake,the combination with a running-gear provided at the rear hounds with a cult, and having spaces between the rear hounds and the reach, said cuff being provided with plates and having antifriction-rollers, the plates being located contiguous to the reach, of a connecting device composed of side bars passing between the antifriction-rollers and the plates and composed of front and rear sections, a sliding sleeve mounted on the reach and connected with the rear sections of the side bars, a transverse beam suspended from the running-gear and provided with brake-shoes, and a reciprocating tongue for engaging the connecting device, substantially as described.

15. In an automatic vehicle-brake,the combination with a running-gear, of a connecting device provided at the front portion of the running-gear with a ratchet, a front pawl mounted on the reach and arranged to engage the said ratchet, a rear ratchet mounted In testimony that I claim the foregoing as on the reach, a rear pawl connected with and my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in carried by the connecting device, and arthe presence of two witnesses.

ranged to engage the rear ratchet, a recipro- HENRY PADEN. 5 cating tongue for actuating the connecting Witnesses:

device, and means for operatingthe front DANIEL GALLAWAY,

pawl, substantially as described. G. PUROELL. 

